Automatic table game

ABSTRACT

A gaming table in which the outcome of the game is determined manually, and in which players place bets electronically and wins or losses are calculated electronically. The gaming system is applicable to any suitable game including roulette.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to table games such as roulette, traditionallyplayed in casinos and similar gaming establishments.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Games of chance have been part of many societies for centuries and areever present today. Casinos exist to provide gambling entertainment tothe community in the form of many different games.

These games can generally be divided into two categories. The first isautomatic games, such as poker machines, in which a player bets onvarious outcomes being generated. These outcomes are generatedautomatically, using sophisticated random (all pseudo random) numbergenerators. The player wins or loses depending upon the outcome of aparticular game.

The second category of games is know as a table game, in which a humanoperator, known as a dealer or a croupier, determines the outcome of thegame and pays betting players accordingly. Such table games includeroulette and blackjack. In the case of blackjack, players are dealt anumber of cards by a dealer, who also deals him or herself some cards.The cards themselves determine the outcome of a particular game,directed by the dealer, and influenced by individual players' choices ofvarious parts of the game.

Simplistically, in roulette, players bet on where they think a ball,spun within a wheel divided into thirty seven regions marked from 0-36,will land. After bets are placed, the wheel is spun and the ball isdropped onto the spinning wheel and is allowed to move freely untilcoming to rest in one of the thirty seven regions of the wheel. Thoseplayers who bet on the correct number win, while those who did not,lose.

In both scenarios of the table games described above, all actions,including players betting, game outcome determination, calculation ofwinners and losers and subsequent settlement, are conducted manually.

This presents a number of problems. Firstly, mistakes can be made by theplayer in placing a bet, resulting in an invalid bet, while mistakes maybe made by the croupier in determining winners and more particularly, incalculating and paying out wins. Furthermore, it is not uncommon forsome players to attempt to cheat by surreptitiously increasing ordecreasing a bet while the croupier is not looking once the outcome of agame is known.

Another problem lies with the comfort and confidence of the players. Oneof the attractions of automatic gaming machines is that the player doesnot need to deal with other people, which is an advantage if the playeris not entirely familiar with or confident about the rules of the gameand may be intimidated by other people observing this.

Another disadvantage of traditional gaming tables is that generally,only six players can play at a table at any one time. This is aninefficient use of space. Furthermore, their number within a givenestablishment is limited by legislation. Due to the limited number oftables, it is often difficult for players to find a place available at atable.

Further, due to the requirement of the croupier having to maintain fullcontrol including supervising players, taking bets, determining theoutcome of the game, calculating and paying winnings, collecting lossesand all the while trying to be aware of any instances of cheating, thenumber of players per table must be limited so as not to overtax thecroupier. Accordingly, the overall profit of the casino derived from thegame is limited because the ratio between the croupier's salary and theincome generated from the players is not high.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a tablegame which improves security and increases profit to the casino

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In broad terms the present invention provides a casino gaming table, inwhich the game itself is conducted using traditional, manual systems,and the players place bets and wins or losses are calculated usingelectronic means.

The core advantage of such an arrangement is that the croupier need onlyphysically conduct the game elements—for example, spinning a roulettewheel. The croupier need not watch for irregularities or calculate winsand losses. As a result, play can proceed more rapidly, and more playerscan be accommodated simultaneously.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a gaming tablesystem including;

a gaming surface, at least one manual random game outcome determinator,game outcome data capturing means and one or more electronic playerterminals to allow one or more players to place bets electronically.

According to a further aspect, the present invention provides a methodfor operating a casino gaming table, said table including playerterminals for players to electronically place bets on the outcome of agame, said method including the steps of:

electronically receiving a betting amount from a player;

manually determining a game outcome;

calculating win/loss data in accordance with the outcome of the game;and

electronically updating player terminals in accordance with saidwin/loss data.

Preferably, the system will include processing means for calculatingwin/loss data in accordance with the outcome of the game.

Preferably, the system also includes updating means for updatingcustomer credit values in accordance with the win/loss data.

The system may also provide a countdown to inform the players of thetime remaining before all bets must be placed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to thefollowing figures.

FIG. 1 shows a typical layout of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of the layout of FIG. 1, showinghow the various elements of the system are connected;

FIG. 3 shows an example of a screen display of a player terminal of theresent invention; and

FIG. 4 shows an example of a screen display of the System GameController of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As can be seen from FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention will include a gaming table 1, around which players will sitand operate respective automatic player terminals 2. The game outcomedeterminator in this case will be a traditional roulette wheel 3, whichis operated in the normal manner by a human operator.

Situated close to the gaming table where the outcome is determined, isCentral Controller (CC) 4 (not shown in FIG. 1). Central Controller 4 isconnected to player terminals 2 as well as to a System Game Controller(SGC) 5. The player terminals 2 are used for placement of bets, displayof winning bets, cash balances and promotional and other informativedata. The screen of player terminal 2 displays an image of a playingsurface related to the participating gaming table. Players may placetheir bets by following the instructions displayed on the screen as willbe described in more detail below, with reference to FIG. 2.

The arrangement of the present invention may also include a “displaytree” 6, which is used to display the outcome of the game. Optionally,the display tree may also display the outcome of any number of thepreceding games.

The CC 4 acts as an interface between the player terminals 2 and the SGC5. The CC 4 monitors and processes payment amounts, buy-in amounts,winning results and bet positions.

The SGC 5 communicates with the CC 4 and can also be used to providedata and statistical information to Casino databases. The dedicatedgambling table dealer operates the SGC to register buy-in amounts andallocates these to individual player terminals and processes winning andlosing results. It also maintains transaction records and communicateswinning result information to the CC 4, and provides information to thegaming table operator and CC 4 regarding cash out amounts when playersfinish playing.

A schematic diagram of a typical layout of the invention is shown inFIG. 2, where like elements described above in relation to FIG. 1 arelabelled accordingly.

Casino management databases 9 are connected to the SGC 5 via dedicatedapplication server software. Furthermore, peripheral elements mayinclude a Note Acceptor 7 that is connected to the SGC 5 via a serialinterface and is responsible for processing all local currency. Undercontrol of the croupier, notes fed into the Notes Acceptor will resultin a credit being issued to the corresponding player's terminal for usethroughout the game.

The Components

SGC

The SGC 5 controls game execution. While the croupier spins the roulettewheel to generate the game outcome, it is the SGC 5 that is responsiblefor handling buy-in and collect amounts, maintaining transactionhistory, processing patron ratings and generally administering the game.

Before the commencement of a game, the SGC 5 sends a new game request tothe central controller which then confirms that all terminals aresynchronised. The SGC 5 then initiates the countdown by sending theCentral Controller 4 a “Start Game” command, with the associated timelimit which is then relayed to the player terminal screens andacknowledged.

The countdown time is the time allowed for players to place their bets.At the completion of the countdown period, the player terminals 2 willsend respective betting information to the Central Controller 4. If nobet is placed for a particular terminal within this time, the terminal 2sends a “zerobet” packet to Central Controller 4.

At the completion of the countdown, the Central Controller 4 sends amessage to the SGC 5 that the countdown has expired and polls for theacknowledgement from each terminal. All associated bet details are thenpassed to the SGC 5 via the Central Controller 4. At this time, bets canno longer be placed, and the amount bet is deducted from the accountbalances stored on'the respective player terminals 2. The croupier thencalls “No More Bets”, and spins the wheel to determine the winningnumber. The winning number is then confirmed by the croupier, as isdiscussed in more detail below, and is sent to the Central Controller 4.The SGC 5 then calculates win/loss data for each player terminal 2, andeach is then updated accordingly through the Central Controller 4.

The countdown feature is also particularly advantageous to both playersnd the casino. The countdown allows players to be aware of the remainingtime before having to place their bet. In traditional systems, there isno systematic way f knowing when the “end of bets time” is approaching.The croupier may call “last bets”, but the final time is variable withinlimits. It is possible that the croupier will call “no more bets” justbefore a player decides where and in what amount to place the bet. Whenthis happens, the player misses out on participating in that game andthe casino misses out on the opportunity of winning the player's money.

With the countdown feature, this situation is avoided because the playercan see that the final time for placing a bet is approaching, and knowsexactly how much time remains in which to place the bet. Accordingly, ifthe player intends to place the bet for that particular game, he or sheis more likely to do this before the betting time expires. In this way,the player will not be excluded from the given game for having missedout on placing the bet, and the casino is able to have bets placed in amore consistent manner, contributing to the increased profits providedby the system of the present invention.

CC

The CC is a multi-line user system running several processes needed toco-ordinate the game. The CC's role includes:

-   -   Game handler—calculation of winning amounts, updated player        credits and handling of the game state;    -   Player terminal handler—detection of newly-connected player        terminal units, configuration of the player terminal units,        upgrade of the player terminal unit software, detection of        malfunctioning or disconnected units;    -   Casino Management system handler—transfer between local database        and casino specific database, maintain integrity of data by        moving essential data off the gaming floor and onto the area of        high security;    -   Local database handler—provide a standard interface that game        systems according to the present invention can access;    -   Local database—reliably store gaming data required for the        reliable running of the game system, provide access to real time        information needed during a game;    -   Gaming hardware handler—transformation of the signals from third        party hardware into a format suitable for the system of the        present invention;    -   Firewall—isolates the player terminal units from an external        network, promoting a basic level of security, allowing the game        system to exist on a single casino network without interference.        Player Terminals

The player terminals are employed as the interface between the playerand the system of the present invention. The main components of theplayer terminal include:

-   -   Touch screen monitor—display of all selectable game features        that relate to the dedicated gaming table;    -   Pentium PC—interface between player functions as interpreted by        the touchscreen monitor, which is then relayed to the CC in        conjunction with,    -   Interface Board—housed in a logic cage, handles all security        issues and maintains the link ID of the player terminal        machines.

Associated peripherals include, but are not limited to, bill acceptor,attendant key, accounting key, door sensors and player. terminalspecific software.

The operation of the player terminal 2 and screen display will now bedescribed with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows an example of a displaythat may be presented to a player on his or her corresponding playerterminal. To play a game, the player must begin by pressing the “Buy In”button 201 on the player terminal screen 200. The buy-in amount, (ie.the amount of cash given by the player to the croupier) will beprocessed by the croupier through the SGC 5 and credited via the CentralController 4 to the player's terminal.

As described above, before the commencement of a game, the SGC 5 sends a“Start Game” signal to the Central Controller 4, which in turn ensuresthat all player terminals are synchronised so that each player is giventhe same time in which to place their bets. During the countdown, betscan be placed by dragging the selected denomination chip (202-207) overthe betting layout 208 to the desired location.

Chips can be placed over existing chips on the layout to increase thebet at hat location. Once the chip is placed on the layout, the size ofthe chip will reduce y about 20-30% so as to best fit on the layoutarea. It will then change to a standard colour and the number value inthe middle of the chip will display the total bet amount on the layoutat that particular location. For example, if two $5 chips, two $2 chipsand a $1 chip are placed on a single location on the layout, the imageof the chip at that spot will display a value of $15. To remove a bet,the chip is selected and dragged off the layout to reduce the amount ofthe bet. This dragging may be done via a conventional mouse device, ormay be done simply by dragging a finger across the screen of the touchscreen terminal.

The display on the terminal will also indicate the time remaining forbetting (209), the current balance (210), the current amount bet (211)and the win amount (212). The current balance is updated at thecompletion of each game cycle and is equal to the previous cash balanceplus any wins for that game minus the cash bet in that game.

At the completion of the countdown, the Central Controller 4 will pollall the active player terminals, and then send all of the bet detailsand balances to the SGC 5. If the amount bet does meet the minimumrequirement of the table and is greater than zero, then a message willbe displayed on the player terminal status bar 213, and an “invalid bet”message will be displayed on the player terminal and also sent to theSGC 5.

After the winning number and winning wages information is received fromthe SGC 5, the Central Controller 4 passes the information to eachplayer terminal, and the player terminal will flash the winningcombinations of only those chips on the betting layout that have won.When the gaming cycle begins again, the layout display will be clearedof all bets placed in the previous game.

A number of other options are available and may be controlled by buttonson the display screen:

-   -   the “RECALL” button 214, is used to repeat the betting layout of        the last game cycle;    -   the “CASH OUT” button 221 is used to inform the dealer that the        player wishes to collect his or her cash balance. The croupier        will then process this request through the SGC 5. During this        processing time, the player terminal 2 is disabled from betting.        The cash balance will then be returned to zero balance on the        player terminal via the Central Controller 4 and the payment        will be completed with the croupier paying to the player the        cash equivalent of the balance in the form of gaming chips.    -   the “BUY-IN” button 201, as described above, is used to inform        the croupier that the player wishes to join the game and/or to        deposit funds in the player terminal cash balance. The croupier        then processes the “buy-in” through the SGC 5. During this        process, the player terminal is still able to process bets. The        “buy-in” process will add the “buy-in” amount to the cash        balance on the player terminal via the Central Controller 4 and        then will be confirmed by the player.    -   The “TIERRE” button 215, applies the following bet to the        layout: a six-piece wager with one piece each on 5/8 split,        10/11 split, 13/16 split, 23/24 split, 27/30 split and 33/36        split.    -   The “ORPHANS” button 216, applies the following bet to the        layout; a five piece wager with one piece each on: 1 straight        up, 6/9 split, 14/17 split, 17/20 split and 31/34 split.    -   The “GRAND SERIES” button 217 applies the following bet to the        layout: a nine piece wager with one piece each on: 4/7 split,        12/15 split, 18/21 split, 19/22 split, 32/35 split, and two        chips each on 25/29 corner and 0/2/3 street.    -   The “NEIGHBOURS” button 218 applies the following bet to the        layout, a five piece wager covering the winning number from the        previous spin, and the two numbers either side of it on the        roulette wheel.    -   The “CLEAR” button 219 is used to clear the layout during the        bet countdown.    -   The “HELP” button 220 is used to display game results, pay-out        structures and system definitions.    -   The “TIME LIMIT” slider 209 is used to represent the betting        countdown clock. It is in a scale of seconds and configurable        depending on the time limit set for the game on the SGC 5. Once        the slider reaches zero seconds, the player terminal will        disallow any transactions by the player on the terminal.

An optional display on the terminal screen might also allow the playerto view bets placed by other players. This may take the form of otherplayers' chips being displayed in different colours on the display ofthe board layout.

The function of the SGC 5 will now be described in more detail withreference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows an example of a screen display 500,which may be viewed by the croupier running the game, and representsvarious options available. Every screen on the SGC has a status bar 501,which displays comments and instructions relevant to the operation ofthe game, and the game clock 502, that allows the croupier to see thecurrent amount of time remaining for bet allocation on the playerterminal 2. The main screen on the SGC 5 allows the croupier to view allplayer terminal locations with a status, which may be defined by acolour code. In FIG. 4, the various player terminals are represented bysquares located along the borders of the SGC 5 screen display andnumbered 504 to 514. Various information is displayed on differentplayer terminal squares to represent the current status of particularplayer terminals. For example, player terminal 503 is indicated as beingdisabled, while the display of terminal 507 indicates that the player onthat terminal has just bought in to the game. Terminals 509 and 510indicate that the players have selected the “cash out” option asdescribed above, and are collecting the balance of the credit allocatedto their terminal in the form of gaming chips.

Block 515 will initiate a “New Game”, which initiates a command to theCentral Controller 4 to commence the game clock for setting on allactive player terminals. The “New Game” button will be disabled whengame countdown has commenced, or when the game is in pause mode, andwill be re-enabled once the winning number is confirmed. The ““WinningNumber” button 516 will display the winning number, and will need to beconfirmed by the croupier, who views the actual outcome of the game byobserving the actual position of the ball on the roulette wheel 3, andverifying that the actual winning number is the same as that displayedin box 516. This confirmation is done by the croupier touching box 516.If the number displayed in box 516 is incorrect, confirmation will bedeclined, and the SGC 5 will advance the croupier into a ‘winning numberinput and confirmation” screen. This will allow the number to bemanually input and confirmed. The “winning number” box 516 will alsodisplay a message to direct the croupier to spin the ball on theroulette wheel. This message is displayed once the SGC 5 is informed bythe Central Controller that all transactions have been completed.

Alternatively, the system will not read the winning number at all.Rather, the croupier will observe the outcome of the game and enter thewinning number into the system. The system then processes the inputinformation as previously described.

Administration box 517 allows the croupier to control a number ofspecific functions, such as pausing a current game, configuring min/maxbets and opening and closing the table.

The system described above accordingly provides many advantages overcurrent table games. In particular, the system improves security in thatit is far more difficult for a player to attempt to cheat, and reducesthe risks of miscalculations being made by the croupier. Furthermore,the system allows more players to play per table, is more attractive toplayers who may be otherwise intimidated, provides greater flexibilityin betting options and improves the ratio of earnings to outgoings forthe casino in terms of croupier salary per number of players.

While the above description has been focussed on the game of roulette,it will be understood that the principles of the invention may beequally applied to any suitable gaming table, to provide the aboveadvantages. Such suitable table games include Sic Bo, Big Wheel, Two Upand Mini Baccarat.

It will also be appreciated that the above description has been given inrelation to a preferred embodiment only, and is not meant to be limitedto the specifics of the disclosure, which may vary in many ways as wouldbe understood by the person skilled in the art, within the scope of thepresent invention.

1. A gaming table, comprising: at least one game outcome determiningdevice, exclusive of a card game, and configured for determination of arandom outcome for a game, said at least one game outcome determiningdevice being physically located adjacent a dealer position such that adealer at said dealer position is able to directly physically interactwith said device, said device having a manual operation initiated by atleast one direct physical interaction by a dealer, said manual operationcausing said device to produce said random outcome without interveningautomation following initiation by said dealer; a plurality of playerterminals located at said gaming table, each of said terminals beingphysically located with respect to said at least one game outcomedetermining device such that a player positioned at a terminal is unableto directly physically interact with said device, each terminalincluding a player user interface to permit a player to select at leastone possible outcome of the game, occurring at said gaming table, and tomake wagers on said at least one possible outcome; and at least oneprocessor for comparing said wagers to said random outcome fordetermining winning ones of said wagers, and for crediting winningproceeds directly to said player terminals.
 2. The gaming tableaccording to claim 1 further comprising a dealer terminal operativelycoupled to said at least one processor, said dealer terminal including adealer user interface configured to permit said dealer, after receipt ofpayment from a player, to directly credit one of said player terminals.3. The gaming table according to claim 2 wherein said dealer userinterface is configured to permit said dealer to pay out to a player,upon request, a remaining credit balance on a player terminal in use bysaid player.
 4. The gaming table according to claim 1 wherein said atleast one game outcome determining device is a roulette wheel and saidat least one direct physical interaction of a dealer is selected fromthe group consisting of manual spinning and manual dispensing of aroulette ball by said dealer.
 5. A method for operating a gaming table,comprising: receiving at a plurality of player terminals, located atsaid gaming table, respective player selections of a possible gameoutcome, occurring at said gaming table, and player wagers on saidrespective player selections of said possible game outcome; determininga random outcome for a game, said random outcome being produced by agame outcome determining device having a manual operation, said manualoperation being initiated by at least one direct physical interaction bya dealer with said device, said manual operation causing said device toproduce said random outcome without intervening automation followinginitiation by said dealer; comparing automatically said random outcometo said respective player selections; and, determining winning ones ofsaid wagers responsive to said comparing step, and crediting winningproceeds directly to said player terminals based on said player wagers.6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising receiving a playercredit entry at a dealer terminal after receipt of payment from aplayer, and responsive to said entry directly crediting one of saidplayer terminals.
 7. The method according to claim 6 further comprisingthe step of determining a remaining credit balance on a player terminalin use by said player, and cashing out a player from said playerterminal, upon request, by clearing any credit balance from said playerterminal and paying said credit directly to said player.
 8. The gamingtable according to claim 1, wherein said at least one game outcomedetermining device is a Big Wheel and said at least one direct physicalinteraction of a dealer comprises manual spinning by said dealer.
 9. Thegaming table according to claim 1, wherein said at least one gameoutcome determining device is a plurality of dice and said at least onedirect physical interaction of a dealer comprises manual rolling by saiddealer.
 10. The method according to claim 5, wherein said game outcomedetermining device is a roulette wheel, said at least one directphysical interaction is selected from the group consisting of manualspinning said roulette wheel and manual dispensing of a roulette ball bysaid dealer.
 11. The method according to claim 5, wherein said gameoutcome determining device is a Big Wheel, said at least one directphysical interaction of a dealer being manual spinning of said Big Wheelby said dealer.
 12. The method according to claim 5, wherein said gameoutcome determining device is a plurality of dice, said at least onedirect physical interaction of a dealer being manual rolling said diceby said dealer.